Discover Security Alarms Tips & Techniques
Your home and lifestyle sends “signals” too:
According to the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA), there are some simple steps you can take to make your home less attractive to would-be burglars. The best way is to combine the list of ideas below with a professionally installed and monitored electronic security alarm system in your home. Before you leave on your trip, pack your sun block and be sure to:
- Get a trusted friend or relative to “house sit.” Or, make sure your neighbors know your plans.
- Have a neighbor pick up your newspapers and your mail for you daily.
- Lock all doors and windows, and secure the garage door.
- Leave a car parked in the driveway, or ask a neighbor to park in your driveway.
- Remove the remote for your overhead garage door opener from your parked vehicles.
- Leave a house key — and a number where you can be reached — with a trusted friend or neighbor.
- Use timers to turn lights on and off at certain times, altering lighting patterns, to create an occupied look.
- Leave drapes and shades open as normal. (Closed blinds during the day are a sure sign of an empty house, plus they allow a burglar to attend to his business unseen by neighbors.)
- Arrange to have your lawn mowed.
- Be sure your trees and hedges have been trimmed. This gives burglars fewer places to hide.
- Replace any burned-out lights in your yard. Consider upgrading outdoor light fixtures with devices that have built-in motion detectors, which turn on the lights whenever anyone walks past.
Residential Information
Security Systems Reduce Burglaries…
Homes without security systems are about 3 times more likely to be broken into than homes with security systems. (Actual statistic ranges from 2.2 times to 3.1 times, depending on the value of the home.) Losses due to burglary average $400 less in residences with security systems than for a residence without security systems.
Source: Simon Hakim, Temple University, 215-204-7476
Where Burglars Enter a House…
One survey in Pennsylvania showed that 81 percent of residential intrusions occur through the first floor. 34 percent of burglars entered through the front door;23 percent through a first-floor window; 22 percent through the back door; 9 percent through the garage; 4 percent entered through a basement;4 percent through an unlocked entrance; 2 percent through a storage area;and only 2 percent entered anywhere on the second floor. A study in Connecticut showed that 12 percent of burglaries occurred through an UNLOCKED door and that in 41 percent of alarmed homes that were burglarized, the security system was not turned on.
Source: Simon Hakim, Temple University, 215-204-7476
Police Believe Security Systems Reduce Burglaries…
90 percent of police believe alarms deter burglary attempts.
Source: STAT Resources, Inc., Boston, Mass., 617-734-2000
In 1994, the International Association of Chiefs of Police passed a Board Resolution stating that professionally installed and monitored alarm systems are useful instruments to deter crime and provide peace of mind for residential and business owners. The organization also pledged to work with the alarm industry to help reduce the problem of false alarms.
Source: International Assoc. of Chiefs of Police, Alexandria, Va., 703-836-6767
People Feel Safe with Security Systems…
94 percent of alarm owners are satisfied with their alarm systems.
Source: Simon Hakim, Temple University, 215-204-7476